


You See Me

by Invincibleiron



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner sees Ghosts, Ghost Tony Stark, Hulk sees Ghosts, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Professor Hulk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26541259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Invincibleiron/pseuds/Invincibleiron
Summary: After the Snap, Tony is stuck watching his family suffer handling his death. No one can see him and he can't do anything and then someone *does* see him.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark
Kudos: 16





	You See Me

Being dead was.....well. In a word, _dull_. In two, it was _awfully dull_. Tony had hovered over the bedside with Morgan while she clutched Pepper, whimpering in sleep like she had so many times during nightmares and all he could think was how much that _hurt_. He couldn’t reach out to brush her hair from her face, locks wild as they escaped the braid Pepper had put them in. She whimpered out Daddy and Tony would have cried if he _could have_. 

He was shuddering as he clutched himself, a faint blue glow to the entirety of his body - even in _death_ his color was still the same. People assumed it was the harsh red of the suit, or the gold and flash and _pomp_ he always was known for. Those most intimately entwined in his family however, in his inner circle, knew him and associated him with the soft blue glow of the arc reactor. Being a ghost and having no ability to affect anything was murderously painful and yet he couldn’t bare to pull himself away. 

Every time that Rhodey or Happy came over, he tried to do something. _Anything_ to make anyone notice him. Was he just doomed to whatever purgatory this was? Heaven knew he wasn’t meant to be there - or whatever the _snap_ had earned him wasn’t _enough_ \- and Hell _absolutely_ didn’t want him there because of the mass riots it would surely cause. Imagine Stane’s face when he waltzed back in. Would Howard be there, still pining over Steve? Would Heaven find him with his Mom again, playing piano together? Would _Jarvis_ be there, with Ana, to try and teach him how to manage in the kitchen? 

Tony sucked in a breath and he probably didn’t even need it anymore but it was just such a habit to do so. 

Three weeks of this floating through walls, even DUM-E wouldn’t respond to him, but the first time that _Bruce_ had come over he _swore_ Bruce looked at him. It twisted his stomach to see Morgan’s little arms around his neck, clutching tight, as tight as Tony wished she could do for _him_. They had all taken shifts so Pepper got a break, Rhodey and Happy and Bruce, even Peter coming over some nights for a few hours. Bruce’s eyes didn’t look _through him_ though. Not like everyone else did. He had to wait until Morgan was asleep and Bruce was sitting out on the deck just staring at the lake and the reflection of moon on it. 

As he might have in life, Tony sat down, using Bruce’s shoulder as a support although it didn’t _really_ matter. He didn’t need it. He just. It was a habit. It took time to break it. “Just once I wish someone would _say_ something to me. _See me_.” Tony said evenly. “I think I earned that, didn’t I? Being _dead and all.”_ He could _hear_ Bruce’s breath intake, the flex of the hand at Bruce’s knee, the way it _klutched_ his leg. “ _You can_.” Tony hissed it out, and he couldn’t believe it. “ _You can_ ** _see me_** _.”_

Bruce _stared_ at him then and Tony knew the nuances of Bruce’s processing face. “It wasn’t...it wasn’t until _this -”_ Bruce’s massive hand swept in the air towards his body and he gestured to himself as he now was. “ _He_ can see ghosts apparently. So like...like _this_ now _I_ can see ghosts.” Tony’s eyebrow shot up and he looked Bruce over, staring hard at him like _he_ was seeing a ghost. “I can’t see anyone else.” Tony said like it was an insult - because then if _he_ was here and _Bruce_ could see him then maybe Maria could have been _here_ somewhere. And he hadn’t found her yet, or she hadn’t found him, and what if she’d seen Morgan and was she proud of him and he was getting ahead of himself. 

“I didn’t...I was sure I was hallucinating at first. And it was just...just a hollow dream. Or a nightmare.” Bruce had admitted, breathing in a quick breath before he let it out again and looked back at Tony. “I don’t know how this works.” Bruce had never exactly _wanted_ to talk to the ghosts that he saw and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to talk to _this one_ either. “I don’t either.” Tony admitted, soft and scared with his blue eyes wide and _terrified_. “I don’t know how to do this.” He said, and laid his glowing hand over Bruce’s although neither of them felt it. 

Tony’s eyes shot back to the cabin, towards the window he knew was Morgan’s - where she could watch the moon. “I need you to help me.” Tony said quietly and Bruce let out a slow breath. “Of course.” Bruce said softly after a long pause.


End file.
